Democrats let in Florida delegation, but cut vote in half

June 1, 2008|By WILLIAM E. GIBSON Washington Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON — Finally, it's decided. The Democratic Party's action on Saturday to restore half of Florida's voting power at the national convention put state Democrats on a path toward unity while still leaving a lot of rancor.

The Rules and Bylaws Committee voted 27-0 to seat all 211 Florida delegates but give each of them half a vote. The panel also voted to partially restore Michigan's delegates.

Florida Democrats essentially got half a loaf, and to state party leaders that is far better than none.

"This will begin the healing process," said Mitch Ceasar, Broward County Democratic chairman. "Nothing in politics, or in life, is perfect."

Both states had been stripped of all delegates for holding primaries in January. The compromise resolution brought relief to party leaders but sparked protests from supporters of Hillary Clinton.

"Den-ver! Den-ver!" Clinton backers chanted, indicating the delegate dispute may linger all the way to the convention site in August.

As a result of the decision on Florida, Clinton will move 19 delegates closer to Barack Obama, not nearly enough to overcome Obama's lead in the nomination race.

"You can't get much more unity than a unanimous vote," exulted U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Delray Beach, who represented Obama at the meeting. "This was the best possible result for the voters of Florida and the Democratic Party."

Clinton will come away with 52.5 pledged delegates from Florida, based on the Jan. 29 primary results. Obama will get 33.5 pledged delegates, and John Edwards will get 6.5.

Twenty-six superdelegates from Florida, including 12 who have endorsed a candidate but are not bound by primary results, will also get half a vote.

The committee rejected, 15-12, another motion to restore all of Florida's delegate votes, the position taken by Clinton supporters. Its defeat triggered jeers.

"We must compromise. The world is not perfect," said Alice Huffman, a committee member who supported Clinton. "We will leave here more united than when we came."

Hundreds of Democrats from Florida, Michigan and other states filled the meeting room at the Marriott hotel or gathered outside in protest.

The sign-waving crowd included dozens of South Floridians. "Count our votes or don't count on us in November," one sign read, summarizing the defiant spirit of the crowd.

They were not mollified by the compromise.

"It's a slap in the face," said Margaret Grostefon, 44, a Fort Lauderdale resident who joined the demonstration. "Fifty percent? It's like saying we are half of a citizen. In the general election, I am debating whether to vote at all."

Clinton had hoped to gain 38 delegates from Florida in her race against Obama, plus bragging rights that she won the popular vote in a major state.

"I'm concerned that Florida is going to go in the other direction," said Vanessa Alikhan, 31, of Fort Lauderdale, meaning give its electoral votes to Republican John McCain in the Nov. 4 election. "I don't think it's right that the Republican Party would benefit from all of this chaos."

The committee's decision to count delegates based on the primary is bound to anger some who stayed away from the polls. Many are Obama supporters who think the primary - a clear victory for Clinton - was skewed.

"I boycotted the vote because we were told the results wouldn't count," Andrew Dressler, a Democrat from Pembroke Pines, said in a telephone interview. "My anger is mostly directed at back-room politicians, who say we are going to do this and that."

All the fuss about how delegates are allotted may be irrelevant as early as this week when the presidential primaries are completed, former Florida Sen. Bob Graham said during a break in the meeting.

The presumptive nominee will persuade party leaders to give Florida full voting power, he predicted.

He and other Democrats were appalled by the spectacle of Democratic leaders squabbling among themselves at a meeting on rules while other Democrats protested.

"What disturbs me," Graham said, "is how little focus there is on the issue of how we elect a president of the United States by putting 27 electoral votes in his or her column. To optimize the chances of that occurring, we need to have the full delegation seated."

William E. Gibson can be reached at wgibson@sun-sentinel.com or 202-824-8256.

For more reactions and an inside look at the debate over Florida's delegates, read William Gibson's blog at Sun-Sentinel .com/juice